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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958643">Rusted Reputation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonderwrites/pseuds/sonderwrites'>sonderwrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:35:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,721</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonderwrites/pseuds/sonderwrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Maisie Potter hasn’t exactly had the best reputation, ever since she was born, especially having  two opposite grandfathers—one, The Chosen One, and the other, The Dark Lord. Most people don’t even know she exists. But she’s eleven now, and starting at Hogwarts. Can she forget about the bad blood on both sides of her ancestry and thrive during her time at Hogwarts, or will she be stuck being bullied at school, just like her father, Albus Potter?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maisie sits on the porch, practicing magic with her new wand. She received her Hogwarts acceptance letter a month ago, and had just recently gone to Diagon Alley and picked up her equipment, including a spectacled owl who she called Otto, and her new wand, Beech wood and dragon heartstring core. </p><p> </p><p>Although Maisie is excited about attending Hogwarts, to be honest, she’s also quite terrified. Her father, Albus, really didn’t have the best experience with the place, and her mother, Delphini, hadn’t even attended, so in her household, Hogwarts doesn’t have much of a good reputation. To make matters worse, Maisie’s two grandfathers are the Chosen One, or The Boy Who Lived (Harry Potter), and the Dark Lord himself (Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort), so she wondered if she’d even be liked by anyone with such ancestry. Maisie’s last name is Potter, because people still get slightly scared at the mention of ‘Riddle’, but her mum had decided to stick with Riddle as her last name, after all, she hadn’t used it much in her life, pretending to be a Diggory. Whatever her surname is doesn’t really matter though, because no one knows Maisie even exists. Well, except for her family. The story was that her dad, Scorpius Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ginny Potter, Hermione Granger-Weasley, Ron Granger-Weasley, and Draco Malfoy went back in time with Maisie’s mum to stop her from stopping Lord Voldemort from killing Harry’s parents, and Maisie’s mum ended up being put in Azkaban. Confusing, but the world bought it. Albus had actually married Delphini, and had a daughter, Maisie, who was a secret to the Wizarding world. Now that she’s going to Hogwarts, Maisie has to keep that secret, lest she have a terrible schooling life. No pressure or anything...</p><p> </p><p>After accidentally setting a flower on fire with her wand, Maisie decides to stop practicing for a bit, and goes inside to feed Otto. Maisie picked Otto because of his interesting coat, which Maisie loves the look of. He has white arches that extend from the bottom of his eye, to the top, a white mane, and what looks like a black star on his forehead. Not only that, but Otto only has one leg, making him clearly the most unique owl there. Maisie thinks he’s beautiful.</p><p> </p><p>Otto hoots his thanks after eating up the mouse Maisie had given him, then hops along the small wooden branch in his cage, over to his water bowl to take a sip.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, Otto, which book should I read next?” Maisie holds up some of the books that she had bought from Diagon Alley. She’d already read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and A History of Magic, but she wants to have them all read before she goes to Hogwarts, so she won’t be behind in any way.</p><p> </p><p>Otto cocks his head to the side, but then quickly flaps back into position after losing balance. Maisie flicks through the books again, and decides to start reading Magical Drafts and Potions. She sits down on the couch and begins, shivering when the family snake, Sammy, slithers over her feet.</p><p> </p><p>Just then, there is a knock at the door, and Maisie turns to see her dad opening the door with his wand. Standing there is a man with blonde hair, a woman with fiery red hair, their red-headed daughter, and two twin boys. Maisie knows exactly who they are.</p><p> </p><p>“Scorpius! Rose! Lyra! Cetus! Cepheus!” Maisie’s dad chimes, and hugs them all in turn. Maisie closes her book and walks over to them. Lyra is the same age as her, and basically her only friend, because she isn’t ever allowed outside unless under cover. Maisie calls Scorpius and Rose her aunt and uncle, although technically, Rose and Scorpius are her cousins once removed.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” Maisie waves awkwardly at Lyra, who smiles and greets her back. Now Maisie’s mum walks out and greets them too, showing off her fake friendliness she’s known for. She’s really only herself when they’re all home alone together. Which, quite frankly, happens most of the time. </p><p> </p><p>“We just went to Diagon Alley and picked up some of Lyra’s stuff,” Scorpius is saying as he walks into their house. Maisie grabs Lyra’s hand and they sneak off.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you buy an owl?” Maisie asks when they’re in Maisie’s bedroom. She quickly tidies up a bit, then sits on her bed, Lyra joining her.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but I really wanted a cat,” she pulls on her mismatched socks.</p><p> </p><p>“Aww, sucks. But owls are more useful, you know,” Maisie leans back and starts tracing the patterns she’d sketched on the wall with her finger, “I got an owl, he’s only got one leg.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, really?” Lyra laughs, “Well, you won’t get much use out of him!”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, he’s a good owl,” Maisie sits up again, and sits cross legged. She notices Lyra do the same, seem to decide it isn’t comfortable, then go back to how she was sitting before, “so, are you gonna be in Slytherin?”</p><p> </p><p>“I dunno. Mum wants me to be a Gryffindor, and Dad says he doesn’t really care, but I’m guessing he wants me to be a Slytherin. And since I’m first of the kids, I guess I kinda have to set the example for Cetus and Cepheus,” Lyra tilts her head to the side, a bit like Otto had done. Maisie had noticed that she did that a lot when thinking.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I hope you’re in Slytherin! That’s where I’m gonna be,” says Maisie with confidence, which makes Lyra burst out with laughter. Maisie stares for a moment, before asking quietly, “what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you’re <em>Slytherin </em>material?” Lyra says, trying to silence her giggles. When she fails to do so, Maisie shoves her hand over Lyra’s mouth, but Lyra grabs it and pulls it away, laughing more now, Maisie giggling.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, both my parents are, and technically, I’m sorta the <em>Heir of Slytherin</em>! So, I can’t <em>not</em> be a Slytherin,” Maisie crosses her arms and pokes out her tongue, then watches Lyra start kicking her legs back and forth and Maisie copies her.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I think I’m meant to go now. Dad said just a short visit,” Lyra gets up, and Maisie hugs her, saying her goodbyes, and when she leaves, she flops back onto her bed and picks up the nearest fallen book to read.</p><p> </p><p>Sammy slithers into Maisie’s room and she freezes, staring at the yellow snake rising up to meet her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I’m hungry</em>,” it hisses. Maisie has always been scared of snakes, but being a parselmouth, she can understand them perfectly. It seems to be only Otto and Maisie’s dad who don’t understand snakes in their house.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I’m sssure mum hasss sssomething for you, go talk to her</em>,” Maisie says slowly, trying her best to do an intimidating glare at it to make it go away. Finally, the snake slithers away, and Maisie releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding before going back to her reading.</p><p> </p><p>+sSs+</p><p> </p><p>It’s the first of September and Maisie is at King’s Cross, making her way to Platform 9 3/4. Apparently, Lyra is already there.</p><p> </p><p>She looks at the brick wall that leads to Platform 9 3/4 nervously. After checking for muggles (there’s none nearby), she takes a deep breath and runs into the wall at a fast pace, just like her dad had told her to.</p><p> </p><p>On the other side, Maisie is overwhelmed by the massive crowd, and tries to stay along the wall. She desperately looks around for Lyra, but can’t see her through the crowd. Maisie wishes for some kind of comfort right now. Even Sammy. ‘At least I have Otto,’ she says to herself, and sticks her hand into his cage. He gives her a comforting nip, and wobbles a bit, but keeps his balance. Maisie smiles, then looks back over to where the train will pull up at any minute now.</p><p> </p><p> And, just like that, the train arrives. She looks around nervously, then makes long strides over towards the train, trying to squeeze her way through the crowd, anxiety mocking her every move.</p><p> </p><p>She finally gets onto the train, and moves through the carriages trying to find an empty compartment—or better yet, Lyra. </p><p> </p><p>She had walked down four carriages and couldn’t find Lyra, so she decides to sit inside an empty compartment nearby. ‘Ah, peace,’ she thinks to herself, ‘now I should probably reread some-’ there is a knock on the door and Maisie shoots her head up.</p><p> </p><p>“May I come in?” asks a boy with dirty blonde hair, nice clean robes with a random lump in them, and a handful of golden things.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, um, yeah, sure,” she says awkwardly, opening the door. He walks in and plops himself onto the seat opposite Maisie.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks,” he says, then sticks out his hand for Maisie to take, “I’m Charlie Scamander, by the way.”</p><p> </p><p>“Um, Maisie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wonderful to meet you! Are you a, ah, muggleborn?” He asks, putting a hand on the lump in his robes. Maisie watches the lump carefully, curious.</p><p> </p><p>“What? Oh, um- wait, what’s that?” a head has just poked out of Charlie’s robes and he pushes it back in, laughing.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s my niffler,” he explains, “he can be really annoying sometimes.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s so cool! I just have my owl, Otto, and a, um, snake,” Maisie shuffles in her seat awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh wow, a snake! Did you know some people can talk to snakes? It’s called parseltongue,” Charlie says, shoving his niffler back again. Maisie covers her laugh with a cough.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I did actually,” she pauses, “I’m not- I’m not a muggleborn, by the way.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry! I just assumed you were because you seemed really lost. Sorry about that, I have a terrible sense of these things,” he laughs, and Maisie laughs too, feeling warm. Just then, some shouting is heard outside their compartment, and a girl falls in, followed by a boy.</p><p> </p><p>“Merlin’s beard, Xander! Just shut up! You’re only a first year, get over yourself!” Yells the girl, face red.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not talking to you, because you’re not listening to me!” the boy—Xander?—shouts back, then storms off. The girl seems to have finally noticed Charlie and Maisie, and goes even redder.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uh, sorry about that!” says the girl, “I’ll get out of your hair. Oh, the trolley lady! I guess I’d better stay for a bit.” She sits down next to Charlie, and he smiles at her.</p><p> </p><p>“Anything from the trolley, dears?” asks the old trolley lady. Maisie shivers upon seeing her, remembering the story her father had told her. She clutches the money in her pocket, and considers what to buy.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh! Can I get some chocolate frogs? Chocolate frogs are the best!” Charlie holds out his money, “ah, six please.” She hands the chocolate frogs to him, and he starts opening them, biting the heads off and reading the cards, “oh, another Harry Potter.” Maisie hears her last name, and decides to try a chocolate frog too, despite what her dad had once told her about the trolley witch and what she can do with chocolate frogs.</p><p> </p><p>“Can I have... just one chocolate frog, please?” Maisie asks.</p><p> </p><p>“Certainly, dear,” she hands it over in exchange for the money, and Maisie gazes at the packaging.</p><p> </p><p>“...and can I get a pumpkin pasty, and Bertie Bott’s?” asks the girl. </p><p> </p><p>When the trolley lady leaves, Maisie is about to open her chocolate frog when the girl abruptly speaks.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sorry! I haven’t introduced myself. My name’s Samantha Clearwater,” she says, popping a red jellybean into her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice to meet you, Samantha, I’m Charlie Scamander,” he gives her another smile.</p><p> </p><p>Maisie hesitates a second before introducing herself, “I’m Maisie.”</p><p> </p><p>“You know, I was wondering Maisie, what <em>is</em> your surname?” asks Charlie, putting down his chocolate frog card of Artemisia Lufkin, “‘course you don’t have to tell me, if you don’t feel like it.”</p><p> </p><p>Maisie pauses and considers lying, but decides against it when she realises that her name will be called in the sorting ceremony anyway, “I’m, um, well, my last name is Potter.” Charlie’s mouth actually falls open, and Samantha looks confused.</p><p> </p><p>“Holy crap, really? A Potter in my year!” He picks up his abandoned Harry Potter card and looks between the card and Maisie, beaming, “I didn’t even know Lily and James had <em>more</em> kids. Unless... wait, did Albus finally have a kid? I mean, it would have happened eleven years ago, but wow, okay, that was kept quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>Maisie looks at her hands and Charlie bites his mouth shut, “I’m... sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you at all or anything, this is just really cool. Sorry, I’m so sorry!”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m- I’m fine...” Maisie says quietly, not looking up from her hands. They sit in silence for a few more minutes until Samantha breaks it.</p><p> </p><p>“So, uh, I’m gonna go, I might see you guys later, bye!” and Samantha leaves. Maisie feels bad for making Charlie and Samantha uncomfortable in the silence, but she also feels like if she speaks, she’ll just be annoying them, so she’s stuck in a limbo where she’ll most likely just end up staying quiet unless Charlie starts speaking. Maisie can see, at the top of her line of sight, that Charlie has started shaking his niffler as shiny things fall out, and she decides that this is probably going to continue to be an awkward train ride. So that it doesn’t get any more weird, she gets out the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book to reread, and she stops dead when she reads the author’s name.</p><p> </p><p>“Charlie, you- you’re related to the person who wrote this book?” she looks up, flabbergasted, pointing to the author’s name; ‘Newt Scamander’.</p><p> </p><p>“Surprise!” Charlie laughs, “I’m his great great grandson,” Charlie gives her a half smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow! Then it should be <em>me</em> who’s amazed that you’re in my year!” Maisie can’t stop smiling now, her little nerdy brain overjoyed.</p><p> </p><p>“Another book lover, hey?” Charlie takes out a small bag with an extension charm on it, and opens it up so Maisie can look at the hundreds of books inside.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, that’s awesome! Do perhaps have Sonnets of a Sorcerer? I’ve always wanted to read that to see if it’s true that it makes you speak in limericks for the rest of your life!” Maisie is probably the most excited she’s been her entire life. Perhaps it’s because of the change in her usual solitary life, and now books.</p><p> </p><p>Charlie chuckles, “no, unfortunately not, but you can borrow any of the ones I do have, if you ever feel like it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gosh, thank you!!” Maisie is about to lean over and hug Charlie, but then realises she doesn’t yet know if it’s socially acceptable to hug people you just met.</p><p> </p><p>+sSs+</p><p> </p><p>The train had arrived, and they had sailed along the river which was really fun. They now stood in the Great Hall—which really is great—waiting to be sorted. It’s just as magical as Maisie had imagined, if not better.</p><p> </p><p>“Ackerley, Bruce!” shouts Professor Longbottom, and the sorting begins. A boy walks up, trembling, and sits down on the stool.</p><p> </p><p>“HUFFLEPUFF!” yells the sorting hat, and all of the Hufflepuffs applaud as he goes to sit down.</p><p> </p><p>“Baddock, Chloe!” calls Professor Longbottom, and a girl trips up to the stool to be sorted.</p><p> </p><p>“SLYTHERIN!” Maisie takes a good look at the girl as she sits down at the Slytherin table, knowing she will be in the same house as her.</p><p> </p><p>“Barebone, Amelia!”</p><p> </p><p>“SLYTHERIN!”</p><p> </p><p>“Clearwater, Xander!” Maisie watches as the boy who had busted into her compartment fighting with Samantha before walks over to the stool. Perhaps they’re siblings.</p><p> </p><p>“GRYFFINDOR!” Maisie is glad she won’t be sharing a house with him.</p><p> </p><p>Maisie gets bored after a while, but she snaps back into reality when she hears Lyra’s name.</p><p> </p><p>“Malfoy, Lyra!”</p><p> </p><p>“GRYFFINDOR!” Maisie unconsciously starts clapping along with the Gryffindors as Lyra happily makes her way down to her new house table. Maisie’s slightly saddened that she and Lyra aren’t gonna be in the same house, but she supposes she’ll make friends in Slytherin too. Like she had made friends with Charlie. Charlie<em> is</em> a friend, right? She doesn’t know, she’s only ever had just one friend before. </p><p> </p><p>A while later, Maisie can tell her name is coming up soon, and she starts mentally preparing.</p><p> </p><p>“Pince, Nicolas!”</p><p> </p><p>“GRYFFINDOR!”</p><p> </p><p>“Potter, Maisie!” calls Professor Longbottom. Maisie freezes, but just manages to stumble up towards the stool and sit on it. The whispers all around weren’t helping.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as the sorting hat is placed on her head, she hears a voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Interesting, very interesting...” mutters the hat. Maisie stays silent, waiting to be judged by an old hat, “I can see strong Slytherin values inside you, ah but also Gryffindor ones, oh and definitely Ravenclaw, <em>and </em>the loyalty of a Hufflepuff.”</p><p> </p><p>“So, which is it?” Maisie asks impatiently, “it’s Slytherin, right? I mean I <em>am </em>the heir.”</p><p> </p><p>“Be patient. I don’t just go by heritage. Let me see, intelligent, ambitious, creative, resourceful, likes learning, witty. I see now, better be...”</p><p> </p><p>“RAVENCLAW!” The sorting hat yells this to the rest of the school, and Maisie can’t help but feel shocked. She isn’t a Slytherin, nor a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff, but a... Ravenclaw. The heir of Slytherin is a Ravenclaw and <em>proud</em>. The Ravenclaw table cheers as Maisie sits down at it. </p><p> </p><p>“Scamander, Charlie!” Maisie watches intently as Charlie puts the hat on. </p><p> </p><p>After a moment or two, it yells, “RAVENCLAW!”</p><p> </p><p>Maisie cheers among her fellow Ravenclaws, trying to clap the loudest. She shuffles over, and Charlie sits next to her, beaming.</p><p> </p><p>“Simpson, Maria!”</p><p> </p><p>“RAVENCLAW!” Maisie cheers again as Maria sits down at their table. </p><p> </p><p>After the sorting, the girl next to Maisie turns and narrows her eyes at her.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, hi?” Maisie says nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“Potter, who are your parents?” they snap. Maisie tries not to swallow the saliva that is now building up in her throat. Why <em>now</em>? Swallowing is a sign of guilt.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, um,” she thinks quickly, lying can come surprisingly easy to her when she needs to, “they’re, um, Aaron and Petunia Potter.” Maisie tries to look casual, hiding all her signs of deception as best as possible.</p><p> </p><p>“Never heard of them,” snaps the girl.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m the, um, great great great granddaughter of... Charlus Potter,” Maisie says. She can’t handle it, she has to swallow her saliva, or else choke, and so she does. The girl takes one more glance at her before turning away.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, what was that all about?” Charlie taps her on the shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, nothing,” she says, and goes back to looking at their headmaster, Professor Flitwick. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, mystery Potter, what’s got you so nervous?” whispers a boy across the table mockingly.</p><p> </p><p>“Go back to your books, idiot,” Maisie hisses, and then is surprised at herself for not just cowering away. Perhaps she <em>would</em> have the same Hogwarts life as her dad. Just one friend, bullied by everyone else, she could possibly even grow distant from her dad as well. Oh how similar and puny she must be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maisie doesn’t want to talk to anyone but Charlie. Not only does she not know <em>how </em>to socialise, everyone just seems to hate her for some reason. But hey, they’d probably hate her even more if they knew her ancestry. It can be very annoying being bound by things she has no control of.</p><p> </p><p>Maria Simpson, a muggleborn who had also been sorted into Ravenclaw in the same sorting as Maisie, actually did try to talk to Maisie, probably because she also doesn’t know why people are hating on Maisie, and Maisie knows that she should be grateful to Maria, but instead she just ignores her. Charlie doesn’t really know why she does that, but he’s polite enough to not bring it up. </p><p> </p><p>Maisie is elated when they have their first class with Gryffindor, because, hooray, Lyra will be there!</p><p> </p><p>“I only really knew one other person before Hogwarts. You’re my second friend ever,” Maisie tells Charlie on the way to class.</p><p> </p><p>“Well what a lucky person I am!” Charlie smiles. </p><p> </p><p>Maisie attempts to go and sit next to Lyra, but she sits just one from the end of a row, and Maisie doesn’t want to leave Charlie all alone, and so instead they sit in the row opposite. </p><p> </p><p>For all of Transfiguration, Lyra doesn't even turn in Masie’s direction, which made turning a match into a needle rather depressing. Not having your childhood best friend notice you at all isn’t fun. Though, Charlie tries repeatedly to cheer her up. </p><p> </p><p>Even when Maisie tries to catch Lyra after class, she’s off with her new group of Gryffindor friends, and doesn't notice Maisie once again. </p><p> </p><p>+sSs+</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you’re that Ravenclaw Potter who can speak Parseltongue!” says some random guy.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Maisie lets out a short gasp. She hadn’t thought she’d spoken any the whole time she’d been at Hogwarts, but had she accidentally let something slip?<br/><br/>“It’s weird, isn’t it? I swear only descendents of Salazar Slytherin can speak it now. And who’s the last descendant? Oh yeah, Tom Riddle,” says the guy.</p><p> </p><p>“Actually, it’s Delph-” begins Maisie. </p><p> </p><p>“But I guess not, then. Why don’t you show us, hey?” the guy says, as other random humans begin to gather like Maisie had suddenly become a magnet of a sort.</p><p> </p><p>“I-” Maisie looks around nervously. <em>When was Charlie getting back from the bathroom? </em></p><p> </p><p>After a moment, the gathered people look bored, and the guy who had been talking to Maisie says, “fine, I guess the rumours aren’t true then.” then they scattered.</p><p> </p><p>When Charlie finally comes back, she must have still been looking distraught, because he asks, “what happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“Um, some people said I was a parselmouth,” Maisie says. </p><p> </p><p>“They’re probably just bored and want to start drama. And you have a snake, don’t you? Maybe that’s where the rumour stemmed from. But hey, if you are, I’ve got nothing against it. You’re a really nice girl, and talking to snakes wouldn’t change that,” Charlie says.</p><p> </p><p>Maisie pauses. “I’m not. A parselmouth, I mean.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well hey, that’s cool too. You know, back in the day being called a parselmouth would’ve been considered a compliment,” Charlie says. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah but that was before people like Herpo the Foul, Salazar Slytherin, that Voldemort guy, and others,” Maisie says. “It’s the 21st Century now. Times are different.” </p><p> </p><p>“‘That Voldemort guy’,” Charlie repeats, laughing. Maisie smiles, while giving him a playful glare. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi Maisie,” a girl says from behind them. Maisie spins around, but only finds the back of Maria running off, her brown bob cut bouncing along as she goes. What a strange girl. </p><p> </p><p>+sSs+</p><p> </p><p>Maisie has been spying on Lyra’s group. She’s got the annoying boy Xander from the train, some guy who Maisie picks out is called Nicolas, and then a bunch of girls Maisie hasn’t caught the name of. They all seem like those popular mean people you see in Muggle TV. Maisie hadn’t really expected those people to exist in real life, but the strangest part is that <em>Lyra </em>is part of the group. The goofy and geeky Lyra that Maisie knows surely doesn’t belong in such a group with all those assholes. They’re not even the kindest to each other. Honestly, Maisie wouldn’t be surprised if it had been Lyra who started the rumour about her being a parselmouth. Maisie just doesn’t understand what has happened to Lyra. </p><p> </p><p>One day, the group notices Maisie’s spying, and Xander approaches her.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, what are you doing?” he asks.</p><p> </p><p>“Studying,” Maisie says, even though they’re in the courtyard and Maisie has literally no books or anything on her.</p><p> </p><p>“Studying what? Normal human behaviour? Better not disturb you then,” Xander says.</p><p> </p><p>Maisie suddenly has a brilliant idea pop into her head. “Actually no, I wasn’t studying. I was watching you.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not creepy at all,” Xander snorts.</p><p> </p><p>“Lyra started the rumour, didn’t she?”</p><p> </p><p>“Which one? The one about you? Well yeah, she heard you hissing in one of the girl’s bathrooms. The one where you open the Chamber of Secrets, I’m pretty sure. That’s not suspicious at all, is it?” Xander says.</p><p> </p><p>Okay, turns out the rumour is worse than she had thought, because now it’s riddled with lies. </p><p> </p><p>“Thought so. But wanna know how she actually knew? She used to be friends with me. Best friends, actually,” Maisie says.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah right,” Xander scoffs. “As if she’d want to be around scum like you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh she was. We were inseparable. And guess what? She was nothing like she is now. She was actually fun,” Maisie says.</p><p> </p><p>“Ahu…” Xander says.</p><p> </p><p>Maisie leans forward. “You’re going to stop spreading rumours about me, or I’ll let all the dirty secrets about Lyra out, and you won’t be so popular then, will you? Maybe I’ll even send the basilisk your way. But don’t worry, if you stop the rumours, or better yet, make people not hate me, I won’t do anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Xander just shakes his head and scoffs again, then heads back to his group. Sometimes just a little blackmail can work wonders. Not that she’s planning to ever do it again… hopefully. </p><p> </p><p>“I found it!” Charlie says, walking over with a bag full of marbles. </p><p> </p><p>“Yay,” Maisie says, and they set the marbles on the ground for a game of Gobstones. All the while they get occasional weary looks from Lyra’s group. Honestly though, Maisie is just glad that Lyra hadn’t spilled about Maisie’s heritage, unless… what if she had and they were just waiting for the right time to blackmail her back?  </p><p> </p><p>+sSs+</p><p> </p><p>Otto unsteadily flaps his way down to Maisie in the great hall one morning, something clasped in his one leg. Otto collapses onto the food, and Maisie mouths an apology to those sitting nearby as she picks Otto and his delivery up. She thanks Otto, takes the package, and lets Otto fly off again.</p><p> </p><p>Strange. It’s the Daily Prophet. Maisie never remembered subscribing to it, but nevertheless she eagerly looks through it. ‘Hermione Granger, now former Minister of Magic, finally retires’, ‘The Leaky Cauldron now selling a new kind of drink, customers say it’s buzzing’, and then… Maisie’s eyes bulge. Surely, surely the rumour couldn’t have gotten that far… ‘Parselmouth comeback--mysterious student at Hogwarts suspected of being able to speak Parseltongue’. Maisie, visibly sweating, begins to read the article. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>One of Hogwarts newest students, whose name will not be mentioned, has just been suspected of being able to speak to snakes in a language called Parseltongue.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Multiple students and staff have reported feeling very stressed about having a Parselmouth in such close vicinity. The Wizarding world’s most nefarious dark wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was also a Parselmouth, and so many witches and wizards are still frightened by such people. However, everyone should be reminded to stay calm, as no harm has been done yet, and remember, even Harry Potter is a parselmouth. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Ministry workers are looking into whether this student is really a Parselmouth, and then further investigations will be done from there. Remember everyone, stay calm. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Maisie can almost feel her eyes start to sting, and she shoves the article over in Charlie’s direction, so that he can have a read of it. Once he’s done, he looks back over at Maisie, his eyes soft.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay. This is really stupid, I know, but once they find out the truth, I’m sure it will all blow over,” Charlie assures her.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. The truth,” Maisie mutters. </p><p> </p><p>+sSs+</p><p> </p><p>Almost the whole school has read the article now, but Maisie is just relieved that not as many people as she had expected are pointing fingers at her, as the article never mentioned her name. </p><p> </p><p>She’s dreading when they come over to find out the truth, though. What will happen? Will there be a reporter who asks her a million questions, then have to watch this introvert crumble and die? Will they bring her over to the Ministry for a trial? Will they use Legilimency? Honestly though, why are they so concerned about the whole thing? Sure, there’s a parselmouth, but at least she hasn't done anything harmful. What’s so wrong with existing?</p><p> </p>
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